The invention relates generally to improvements in the lacing assembly of a shoe, and more particularly to an improved lacing assembly for an athletic shoe in which lower and upper vamp sections can be selectively adjusted and maintained to fit different portions of the foot independently while utilizing a single lace for and extending between the lower and upper vamp sections.
In applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,546,796, an athletic shoe is disclosed having separate lower and upper vamp sections. A pair of laces are provided, one lace for each vamp section. While each vamp section can be adjustably fitted and maintained by its own individual lace, it has been found to be disadvantageous to use a pair of separate laces for each shoe. For example, when untied, a pair of laces presents four loose ends that can become tangled and must be sorted out into appropriate pairs before each vamp section can be adjustably fitted and tied. Moreover, when a pair of laces are tied, each lace provides a bow, thereby providing a pair of bows on each shoe that can become tangled and which present an unconventional and unacceptable appearance.